To Be A Beast Master
by ZephyrTobiasWolf
Summary: A simple story of one of my OC, based in the Naruto world, of how he goes from being an unmotivated child to a slightly less lazy jounin of worth. Oneshot, though he will show up in some of my other stories.


Chapter One

"Raiga, get your ass in here and clean up this mess you made!"

"Aw, come on ma, I'll clean it up later."

"I said now boy!"

"But ma…"

_Katon Ryuuka No Jutsu!_

It was hard growing up in a shinobi family, especially one that was all about following rules and work before pleasure. That is, it was hard for Raiga. His two older sisters would simply shake there head in hopelessness at what a wayward little brother they had, and his mother had to literally light a fire under the boy's behind to get him to do anything at all. Raiga could never understand what all the fuss was about work; why do today what you could put off until next week? None of his family members seemed to agree with that sentiment however, so Raiga generally found himself out of the house trying to stay away from work as much as possible.

Raiga had a pretty normal childhood. Both his parents were shinobi, as were his two older sisters. The youngest of the family a lot was expected of Raiga; his eldest sister was a part of the highly select group of ANBU ninja, and his other sister was one of the best medical kunoichi there was. Both his mother and father being retired jounin Raiga certainly had a lot of people willing to teach him, but the boy simply seemed to lack drive. He would rather explore the forests surrounding Konoha or lounge in the crook of a tree than ever take the time to actually work on his ninja skills. Pretty soon his family began to give up on the boy as ever becoming a ninja, but it was just at that point in his life that Raiga met the Inuzuka.

It was purely by accident that Raiga stumbled upon the jounin training, but it was an accident that would change his life. He watched in fascination as the jounin, with his Akita partner, fell into his four legged stance and began attacking multiple targets. The sheer power behind their Gatsuuga was enough to influence the boy's young mind. He had decided what he wanted to be when he grew up; Raiga would become a beast master and work with a canine companion just like the Inuzuka he so admired.

Rushing home Raiga fairly bubbled with the news of his newfound determination, but his family did not take the information as well as he thought they would. Raiga's father smiled knowingly, and his mother fairly forbid Raiga ever having anything to do with the Inuzuka or their damned dogs. What Raiga didn't know was that he had once had an older brother, but that sibling had died on a mission. He had been paired with an Inuzuka, and the man, when faced with the choice to save his partner or his canine companion chose his dog. Raiga's mother especially had never forgiven the man for that; as it was she held a grudge against the entire clan. No son of hers was going to be like those wild selfish beasts that cared only about their mutts. More than anything, it was this blatant refusal of his family to support him that spurned Raiga on. He was going to become a shinobi, and he would be the best beast master there was. All he had to do was find a dog now that he could train.

It seemed that training dogs was harder than it appeared though; not only would his parents refuse to let one within the house but Raiga could never seem to find a canine that he could truly connect with. In all honest he really didn't know what he was doing; all he had was a dream and will. The day before he was supposed to enter the Academy his parents found out about his activities; a bad scene for all involved. His mother was livid, and using her katons she might have burned him nice and proper had Raiga not run first. The boy's own anger was palpable, so much so that he even revealed that he had not been idly ignoring his siblings when they had been trying to teach him, using the body switch jutsu to avoid his mother. Running blindly Raiga had no idea where he was going, but eventually he ended up at the doorstep of a tattoo parlor. His rebelliousness at its peak Raiga decided to get the tattoos that would mark him for the rest of his life.

Raiga didn't go home that day; he wasn't about to show his parents what he had done. Instead he slept outside. He showed up for his first day at the Academy alone, no parents, and no siblings. Wearing only an old pair of jeans and a raggedy shirt the boy still managed to walk in with his head held proud, though not for long.

"Look at that kid, who does he think he is?"

"What's up with his face?"

The whispers followed Raiga like a begging dog, but the boy tried his best to ignore them. Their chunnin teacher called role, and introduced them to their first day of ninja training. It was brutal; with his pleasant life of doing whatever he wanted (which basically amounted to very little) Raiga was not ready for the trails that their sensei put them through even on the first day. If was after training was over that the real torture began.

"Hey, you!"

Raiga looked over his shoulder to see three boys making their way towards him, the leader sporting the clan tattoos of the Inuzuka. Raiga had been trying to work the kinks out of his shoulders; why didn't anyone tell him that training would be this hard?! All three were bigger than him, and from the way they leered Raiga knew that something quite unpleasant was bound to happen.

"Yeah, what do you want" he answered gruffly, still rolling his shoulders. The attack came from out of nowhere, a shoulder tackle straight to Raiga's stomach. The boy gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, falling to his knees.

"Don't you know how to properly respect your superiors?"

The Inuzuka boy leered down at Raiga, and looking over the boy's shoulder was a small puppy. Raiga glared at the boy, but still trying to catch his breath he couldn't say anything. With a grin the Inuzuka spoke once more.

"What right do you think you have to try and copy my clan's tattoos? You better get them removed, if I see you around here again with them still on me and my friends will do worse to you than this."

Giving Raiga a viscous kick in the side the gang of boys left him on his knees hugging his ribcage. Rage flowed through the boy, far fiercer than any he had ever experienced in his young life. For the first time in his young life Raiga shared the hatred of the Inuzuka that his mother seemed to hold. Still, he was too weak to take the boy on even in a fair fight; he had seen how strong the Inuzuka were with their canine companions, that was why he had admired them. Now he detested that strength with a passion.

Sitting there still blinded by his anger Raiga was graced by a curious sight. Four men were walking down the street, carrying a large cage between them. Trapped within it was probably the largest cat Raiga had ever seen, its amber eyes revealing the hatred it carried for its human captors. The next instant the men were past him, but Raiga couldn't get the sight of the cat's eyes out of his mind.

A few more minutes went by before Raiga picked himself up off the ground, and ever so slowly he began to walk back home. He feared the anger that he would face when he showed up on the doorstep once more, but being merely a child he did not have much of a choice. His mother gave him a cold look when he entered the house, but she said nothing. Anything would have been better than this blatant disregard of his very presence, and completely miserable Raiga locked himself in his room; at least his misery could be a private affair.

The next day Raiga left the house on the pretense of going to the Academy, but in truth the boy had resolved never again to step foot within its doors. Instead he made his way through the forest, idly kicking stones and for the most part merely sulking. It was then that he encountered the giant cat once more.

Raiga had made his way to the edge of a clearing, a commotion attracting his interest. Looking forward Raiga was able to see three men standing in a circle surrounding a tethered beast. That beast turned out to be the giant cat that Raiga had seen the other day, and the men were tormenting it, prodding the cat with spears. All his pent up misery and rage burst forth at seeing the men taunt the cat so, and bursting from his hiding spot in the trees Raiga ran straight into the first man he saw, his fists swinging blindly. His attack was so sudden that the men knew not how to deal with it; they ran off in their panic. Raiga chased them to the edge of the clearing, but soon enough they escaped from him. Breathing heavily the boy wondered what had come over him; he wasn't the type of person to just leap into something. It had been the cat's eyes, those eyes that had haunted him even after he could have forgotten them. Those eyes spoke of hidden intelligence, one that should be respected, and not caged. Raiga turned around to face the large cat, only to find that it had broken its chains. Raiga jumped in surprise as the cat leapt forward, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid being pinned under those massive paws. The tiger growled, baring its fangs at the boy, and for a second he thought that he would die here. Then again, would that be so bad? Something was peculiar though, the growls seemed familiar in some way. Raiga looked into the cat's eyes, and suddenly, he could understand.

"Hmph, took you long enough to hear me. What is your name human?"

So surprised that a giant cat was actually talking to him Raiga choked on his words for a second, but a snap at his ear told him that the cat was impatient.

"Ra... Raiga."

The cat gave a grumble somewhere between a growl and a deep purr, and instinctively Raiga was able to understand this as laughter. Getting up off the boy the cat began to pad away, but right as it was at the end of the trees it turned its massive head to once more pierce Raiga with its gaze.

"I shall remember this, human."

With that, the cat disappeared. It wasn't until the beast was gone that Raiga noticed that its voice seemed distinctly feminine.

Raiga made his way back home, but he didn't tell anyone of the incident in the forest. In truth he had been afraid that his family would think him crazy or a liar. It even sounded a lie in his own ears; whoever heard of a cat that large, much less one that could talk? The boy simply continued as he had planned, leaving home every morning to "go to the Academy" and actually exploring more of Konoha's vast forest. This pleasant life didn't last long however, for one day Raiga returned home to find his mother waiting for him, a letter held in her hand.

"So young man, just what have you been doing this past week?"

Raiga gulped, he knew that he had been found out. His lips moved to concoct some story as to what he had been doing, but his mother cut him off.

"Boy, here me clearly; as long as you live in this household you will abide by my rules. Your father and I have allowed you more freedom than most parents, and look what you go doing with it; lying about your whereabouts and making yourself look ridiculous. Well, as of tomorrow your sister is going to personally escort you to the Academy every morning, and you will stay there until classes are dismissed. If I so much as catch a hint as to you causing trouble I swear I will tan you within an inch of your life, and then roast you."

Raiga gulped, and simply nodded his head in submission. He could not fight against his mother, he knew this. Whether he liked it or not he would be off to the Academy once more.

Raiga's return to the Academy was not a pleasant one; things were just as hard, and the Inuzuka boy who sat two rows in front of him kept glaring back at him menacingly. When sensei dismissed the class Raiga tried to hang back as long as possible, but soon enough he had to leave.

"Didn't I tell you not to come back?"

It was déjà vu all over again. The same three boys, the same leering looks, and the same Inuzuka ready to beat the crap out of him. Raiga prepared himself for a fight, but he was still no match for the other boy. Before he knew it he was on the ground, the boy standing over him. The Inuzuka cocked back his leg, ready to give Raiga a powerful kick, and the boy closed his eyes in preparation for the pain… that never came. To his ears came a mixture of screams and frightened crying, as well as a strange roaring sound. Raiga opened his eyes to see the other two boys fleeing, and the Inuzuka laying curled up on the ground, blood seeping from the edge of his mouth. His body seemed to be unconscious, and standing over their bodies was the giant cat. The cat lifted a paw, slipping its claws out as it prepared to take the lives of the foolish human and his annoying mutt.

"No!"

Raiga's yell pierced through the silence that had enveloped the street, and suddenly the boy ran forward. In a seemingly idiotic move Raiga grasped the threatening paw, stopping the giant cat from bringing it crashing down upon the other boy. The cat snarled, its eyes glinting dangerously.

"Why do you stop me boy," the cat growled, not lowering its paw.

"Because…"

Raiga was not able to finish that statement, because at that moment three jounin came sweeping onto the scene, pulling him away from the giant cat and restraining it. Raiga reached out to the cat, but it was useless; the animal had been knocked unconscious. From in the shadows two old wise eyes watched everything.

Chapter Two

"Masahiro, your testimony is grave, are you sure of yourself."

"Yes Hokage-sama. These eyes may be old, but they still catch all that they used to."

"Hmm, I will have to think about this carefully. The Inuzuka boy is in the hospital; his parents are very unhappy. They are asking for the perpetrators head."

"Than give them their own son, it is his fault after all."

"And what to do with the boy?"

"Let me see to him; he is a very special case. It is a rare case that one would see a child talking to an animal."

"What are you saying Masahiro?"

"I'm saying that this boy might grow up to become a better beast master than even me."

---------------------------------------------

Raiga sat in his room; he had refused to leave it since the incident. For once his parents simply left him alone; they could sense that the boy was struggling with something but they knew he needed space. A knock on his door changed everything however.

"Go away" Raiga grumbled at the insistent knock, but the one entreating entry refused to give him peace. With a growl Raiga threw open his door, only to see an old man standing behind it leaning on a long staff that was stopped in mid-knock. At first Raiga just stared, but soon enough he was able to get his voice back.

"Who are you" he asked in a petulant tone. All he received in return was a rap on his head from the old man's staff. Raiga was shocked; he hadn't even seen the man move. The old man glared down at him, and for a second Raiga knew how a mouse felt right before a raptor's strike.

"I am your new teacher. Pack your bags, you won't be returning here for a long while."

Raiga was about to respond, but another blinding rap on his head caused him to simply follow instructions. As he was packing his mother came to the door, but just as Raiga was about to protest she shook her head before walking away again. That gesture was all Raiga needed to know that his fate was sealed. He was going with the old man.

With his bags packed the man motioned for Raiga to follow, and the boy did if grudgingly. At a surprisingly quick pace for an old man Raiga was lead through the streets, his heavy pack weighing upon him as the trip dragged on. Soon enough they were at the outskirts of the village, but the man continued to walk, all the while not saying a word. By this point Raiga was already sweating, they seemed to have traversed the entire village for no other purpose than to leave it; surely the old man must be senile. As he was led deeper into the woods Raiga's journey became even more difficult; used to traveling without luggage his personal items weighed heavy upon his back, and he was drawing further and further away from the old man. Before he knew it Raiga had lost the man, and stopping he looked around in confusion. He had no idea where he was; everywhere he looked things seemed the same.

"Oyaji-san. Oyaji-san!"

"Screaming like that in the forest could get you killed."

The man seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and Raiga jumped back in surprise falling on his backside. The old man's eyes pierced him once more; his tone was cold.

"If you cannot even keep up than I will simply leave you to the predators; there are some out here that would find you a nice snack."

The old man began walking once more, and Raiga scrambled to keep up. He wasn't about to lose him again.

Eventually the old man led him to a small shack in the middle of the woods; if one did not know its exact location one would have been unable to find it. Raiga gave the old man a curious look, but the man simply swept inside, motioning the boy to follow. With not a little trepidation Raiga did as he was commanded. Inside the man's home was sparse, only a bed, a dresser, and a single desk. The man instructed him to place his belongings besides the desk, and for a second the two said nothing, the man merely scrutinizing the boy in front of him. Finally he spoke.

"My name is Morita Masahiro, and you my boy are an enigma. From the information I've gathered you're talentless, weak, and not overly bright either."

"But you're still mine."

A growl broke through the man's speech, and Raiga turned to see the overlarge cat sitting just outside the man's door, licking a paw nonchalantly. Masahiro smiled as he continued.

"And yet it seems you are able to understand this great cat. This alone sets you apart, and that is why I shall train you. You will not be able to learn what you need to know at the Academy."

Raiga barely heard the old man's words; he had rushed out the door, throwing his arms around the giant cat's neck. The beast growled deep in its throat.

"For one who bears my the name of my kin you are surprisingly unobservant, I have been following you since you left the village."

A single tear dripped down Raiga's face, soaking into the great cat's fur. When he had seen the jounin overwhelm her he had feared for the feline's life; he blamed himself for her getting involved.

"Why, why did you save me" Raiga asked softly, still reluctant to release his grip on the cat's neck. The feline's voice rumbled through his very bones.

"You saved my life, did you not? It was my repayment. Besides, you perked my curiosity; why a human would bear the name "liger" is beyond me, as my kind is quite rare."

Masahiro coughed behind the boy, once more grabbing his attention.

"Not meaning to break up this heart warming scene, but you have to get to training. The Hokage has put you under my command until I see fit to have you promoted to the rank of genin. Beast masters are rare, but you seem to have a natural talent for it. First however you must find a beast that is willing to cooperate with you."

Raiga looked at the old man, and memories of his dream of becoming a beast master floated through his head. All the effort he had put into it in vain, all the dogs that he had kept hidden from his parents in an attempt to become more like the powerful Inuzuka. Suddenly Raiga realized what he had been doing wrong all along; and softly he looked at the giant cat in front of him.

"Please, would you work with me? I know I'm weak, but I'll get stronger, and I'll protect you with my life."

The cat gave another one of its strange growl filled laughs, and with a single paw it knocked the boy over, pinning him to the ground. The cat's amber eyes bored into Raiga's own, but the boy did not look away. Finally the cat seemed to smile.

"I will fight with you. My name is Akira."

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So began the most brutal training Raiga would ever be put through. The first thing the old man saw fit to change in the boy was his utter lack of taijutsu; even at his old age Masahiro made it a point to beat the boy senseless every morning as they sparred. Not only that, after Raiga had the crap beaten out of him by the old man he would be forced to spar with Akira, wrestling with the giant liger. Her speed and strength was such that she would beat the boy easily, but as the days drew on it was easy to see how much stronger Raiga was getting. He began to copy the motions of Akira, especially the way she would get low right before she struck, allowing her great speed. Masahiro looked on with satisfaction, the boy was learning faster than he had imagined. After sparring both Raiga and Akira would be forced to hunt; if they could not track down meat then they were not able to eat. Whenever large prey was sparse Raiga would track down small animals, learning their habits, how to find their dens, and how to trace a creature from a simple bended leaf. Raiga would always make sure that Akira had what she needed, even if that meant him going without. Still, trying to feed both himself and a liger Raiga had his work cut out for him. Akira was not without her own gifts as well though; she could hear the sound of a mouse's footfall fifty yards away, and her eyes were as sharp as a hawk's in light or darkness. While the two may not have always been successful in their hunts, they never starved.

After sparring and hunting Masahiro would train the young boy in chakra control, trying to teach him new jutsu. It was here that the boy frustrated Masahiro most of all; despite all his latent ability the boy seemed to have no skill in chakra control. The only jutsu he seemed to have any control over was Kawarimi no Jutsu, so for a while Masahiro trained it viscously. It was during one of these training sessions that Masahiro learned just how far Raiga's latent abilities went.

Masahiro was training Raiga and Akira on their dodging skills, mainly by firing fireballs at the pair. The two had been at it for hours, and the two were tiring. Still, they kept up admirably, running, jumping, and Raiga occasionally replacing himself with nearby logs. Still, it was draining upon the two, and soon enough Raiga tripped, falling right into the path of an incoming fireball. All he could do was cross his arms, but Masahiro knew that would be no protection against his jutsu. He couldn't stop it though; he could only hope that the flames would not burn the boy too badly.

The flames engulfed Raiga, flowing over his body, licking at him as it tried to draw upon his own flesh for fuel. There was an intense heat, and suddenly it was gone. The fireball passed over Raiga, dissipating. Masahiro looked to see how much damage the boy had taken, and was completely surprised to see Raiga still standing, his arms crossed in front of him completely unharmed. Masahiro raised an eyebrow as the boy uncrossed his arms, looking down at himself to find not even his clothing singed.

"So, it seems you have some skill. Tell me, how did you learn the flame-resistance technique?"

Raiga then went on to explain about how his mother was a Katon master, and that she had frequently used them against him to get him to do his chores and basic activities. Masahiro smiled knowingly.

"It requires a focus of chakra, but I guess growing up around a firebrand can make that second nature. Still, you need to learn how to harness that; otherwise you'll never be able to know more than passive jutsu. Come on, we haven't finished your training."

An idea gleamed in the old man's head, and Masahiro shot another fireball, this one straight at Akira. The giant cat had lain down from exhaustion; it didn't have the stamina that Raiga possessed to continue on for so long. To the boy everything seemed to move in slow motion; he ran and yet a part of him knew he wouldn't reach Akira in time to shield her, he wasn't fast enough. He was never fast enough, and with a yell Raiga reached out a hand to Akira. The fireball hit the liger dead on, and for a minute she was encased in flame. Raiga yelled out, but Masahiro merely grinned in satisfaction. Just as he had suspected, when the flames cleared the liger sat blinking its eyes slowly, completely unharmed. Even seeing this Raiga rounded on his teacher.

"Why, why did you try to hurt her?!"

"Simple, because I knew you would find a way to save her."

"But… but what if I couldn't? What if I failed? What if…"

Raiga looked down at the ground, his entire body shaking. Masahiro wondered if he had pushed the boy too hard, and laid a consoling hand on Raiga's shoulder.

"Your power comes from adversity; you need not worry about failing. When the time is dire you will rise to the challenge, I know you will. That was why I used the jutsu; I had to bring your inner power forth. Now you need simply learn how to channel that."

Masahiro never told the boy that he had not expected him to be able to manipulate his chakra so accurately; somehow Raiga was able to use techniques that bordered on the upper chunnin level. The boy was a genius, and he didn't even know it. Still, Masahiro faced the problem of how to get the boy to consciously control his chakra; if he did he would be able to execute extremely powerful jutsu. With a sigh Masahiro ended the training for the day as his mind worked furiously on the problem at hand.

Interestingly enough Masahiro's solution came to him at the most mundane of times. Smoking his long stemmed pipe the old man pulled out an old battered guitar, his gnarled fingers still able to pluck out a tune with practiced ease. Raiga, who had been playing a game of shogi with Akira, stopped to listen to the old man play. Shogi was probably the only game old man Masahiro approved of during times when they weren't training, and the boy was getting pretty proficient at it himself. His mind sucked up strategy like a sponge, and yet at the same time he seemed to play with an abandon that one would not understand until the boy actually won the game. Interestingly Akira had also developed a taste for the game, and by telling Raiga how she wished her pieces to be moved she could play against both the boy and old man Masahiro. So far the liger had won every game. Akira's ears perked at the sounds coming off of the guitar as well, and the two abandoned their game to merely listen. The old man was good, and what's more his notes carried across the entire clearing and further. Raiga waited for the music to stop before he started to speak.

"Oyaji-san, you're great. How do you get the music to be so loud though?"

The spark of an idea flashed through the old man's head, and suddenly a knowing smile crossed the man's face.

"I can teach you, if you like; but first you have to continue training."

While Raiga and Akira practiced their taijutsu Masahiro slipped off for a few hours. When he returned, he held a long black instrument in his hand. Calling the two over Masahiro sat the boy down.

"Now this, my son, is a bass. Sadly I wasn't able to procure another guitar, but this will work just as well for you."

He handed the instrument over to the boy, and Raiga held it with reverent hands. It was probably the second most beautiful thing he had seen, Akira being the first. Settling the instrument into his lap Raiga plucked one of the strings experimentally; its deep tone was barely audible but Raiga could feel the power behind it, akin to when Akira would let loose one of her deep subsonic purrs. Masahiro nodded approvingly before pulling out his own instrument.

"Now, a bass is harder to amplify than a guitar, but they rely on the same principles. If you want to ever be able to hear the instrument and play for others, you will have to learn how to amplify and control your own chakra. Imagine it flowing out of your hands, into the strings. Those strings are like your chakra pathways, and with the proper amount of control one can channel it into beautiful music… or powerful jutsu."

The way Masahiro explained it Raiga was finally beginning to understand what the old man meant about controlling his chakra. Before he had simply let it flow out of him with no thought as to molding it into something more; he was unfocused which caused his ninjutsu to fizzle out. Now, on top of all his other training Raiga would spend some time each night playing the bass, slowly learning how to focus his chakra.

Finally there came a day where old man Masahiro pulled his two students away from their training. Raiga was surprised; it was a rare event that saw the old man giving them a break. Nothing was as it seemed though.

"I have kept you long enough boy; in these five years I've watched you grow from a talentless nothing to a child of at least mediocre skill."

Raiga gave a proud smile, throwing his arm around Akira's neck. This was probably the strongest praise the old man had ever given him. Masahiro chuckled at the boy's reaction, but forged on.

"It is time for you to return to the village and take your final test to become a genin. Take these with you."

Masahiro handed the boy a peculiar set of weapons. They seemed as if they should be held, with two blades making a C shape over the knuckle. Masahiro also gave the boy a peculiar set of knives.

"These are glass knives; they are more dangerous than kunai as they will cut through a foe a lot easier. With your fighting style you should do particularly well with these two weapons. Now come on, get yourself cleaned up. Its time we returned to the village."

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Raiga had left the village when he was seven, now at age twelve things looked so foreign to him that for a moment the boy wanted to bolt back into the trees. The comforting presence of Akira at his side stayed the boy though; besides the liger would skewer him if he tried to run now. Akira had spent too much time working on the boy's confidence only to see it waver now. Masahiro had left the pair at the edge of the village with only a smile and a goodbye wave, telling them to report to the Hokage's office. As the two walked down the streets they drew curious, and sometimes frightened, looks from passerby. Akira had grown even larger and more powerful over the years, and her pelt rippled over her strong muscles as she was able to stare some people straight in the eye. Not only that, but no one even recognized Raiga. Gone was the small weak boy who could not defend himself; in his place was a tall child seeming far beyond his years. His clothes were fastidiously neat even after having been in the woods all this time, and the boy had come to adopt the hairstyle that would follow him through the rest of his life. Overall the pair gave a sense of power; one would have been surprised to find that despite their confident visage both Raiga and Akira were dreading what was to come. Eventually they made it to the Hokage's office, and Raiga gave a short rap on the door before he was told to enter. The boy and liger stood in front of the Hokage, eyes glued to the ground.

"So, Masahiro thinks you're finally ready eh? I've reviewed the progress reports he has provided me; you two seem to have done exceptionally well in your training. However, you two cannot be promoted to the rank of genin until your skills have been tested. To see if you are up to par with your graduating class I am going to have you two spar one of your old classmates; that will be the test of your skill."

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Who is to be our opponent?"

"The only Academy student able to give you a fair fight. Come in, Inuzuka Matahachi."

Raiga turned his head as the door slid open, only to be confronted with the boy that had tormented him so many years ago. Like himself the Inuzuka had grown; his muscles were more lean and corded, and his canine companion now stood at his side, unable to be carried in his hood any longer. The two boys just looked at each other for a second before the Inuzuka suddenly cracked a grin.

"So, this is supposed to be my opponent. If I just have to beat him to graduate then you might as well give me my hitai-ite now." Matahachi leered at the boy, bearing his teeth which now seemed more like fangs than anything. This boy surely had grown fast, possibly as fast as Raiga had himself. "Your cat's not going to be able to save you this time."

The two boys were lead to one of the many training areas scattered around the Academy, and under the watchful eye of the Hokage the two squared off. It was probably one of the more memorable battles that had been seen. Masahiro had labeled Raiga a genius, and so naturally the Hokage had pitted him against someone who was also known as a genius in his clan. His skill with working with his canine companion was flawless, the two executed combos that even a chunnin might find difficult. His speed and strength was also far greater than any student in the class. Raiga had thought he was prepared for the boy's speed, but he had underestimated. Just like before he received a powerful shoulder tackle to the gut, causing him to slide backwards quite a few feet. Still, the boy stayed on his feet, which was surprising to the Inuzuka boy. Raiga wasn't the pushover he used to be.

Raiga's eyes settled upon the other boy; he had underestimated him at first, he would not make that same mistake again. Matahachi simply smirked, before running forward once more. He was going to finish Raiga off in one move. Suddenly he pulled his body into a fierce spin; it was the Inuzuka's famed Tsuuga. The boy was not going to be able to take this standing. Matahachi flew forward, but just as he was about to hit Raiga leapt up into the air, executing a perfect front flip while spinning to keep his back facing away from his opponent. Pulling out of his spin Matahachi was surprised to find he had missed; Raiga wasn't supposed to be able to dodge his speed! The boy stared at Raiga in amazement.

Raiga sighed; for some reason this all seemed pointless. The Hokage was watching though, and his and Akira's dreams rested on his ability to prove he was a good ninja. The cat's tail flickered agitatedly behind her.

"Are you going to attack him?" Akira's growl filled voice held a hint of mockery; she hated being on the receiving end of attacks. Raiga sighed once more, and suddenly he slipped his bass off of his back, settling it easily into his hands. Matahachi had wondered why the boy had brought an instrument to a battle, but he had just chalked it up to the boy's own stupidity. Now he would learn his own foolishness.

Slowly Raiga began to play, slowly at first but then faster. The notes flowed over the practice area, sinking into the other boy's very bones. Soon enough Matahachi couldn't stand it any more; forming a quick series of hand seals he fired three fireballs right at Raiga, trying to stop his playing. Raiga looked up from his strings, seeing the flaming spheres coming at him, but he did not move. All of a sudden an aura of power flowed over the boy, and with one final deep note Raiga let the flames wash over him, licking at his body. The fireball exploded on impact, but the boy did not as much as blink. When the fire cleared, he was still standing just as he had been, his eyes looking into Matahachi's own.

"I'm sorry."

Raiga's form flickered, and all of a sudden Matahachi felt as if he had been stabbed four times. Knocked back from surprise and the pain Matahachi sound his shirt and pants torn, blood leaking from small wounds. Raiga was standing just a few feet away, body held low to the ground as his bass once more rested on his back. For the first time, Matahachi felt fear. Anger flowed through his body, and with a growl he stuck one hand deep into his pouch. From it he withdrew two small pills, and placing one in his mouth he flicked the other one to his dog. Making a seal Matahachi growled, his eyes burning with rage.

"Let's go, Kami. Juujin Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The dog became a clone of Matahachi, who had become wilder himself. Both smiled evilly at Raiga and both began running at the boy.

"Now you're ours. Gatsuuga!"

The two became a veritable tornado of destruction, aimed right at Raiga. Still the boy did not move, but his hands rapidly flowed into seals. Seeing his chakra as flowing down strings, Raiga amplified it, focusing it into his lungs.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The Hokage's eyes widened as the boy expelled a gigantic fireball; an Academy student should not have been able to use that jutsu! Just what had Masahiro been teaching the boy? Blinded as they were by their spin, both Matahachi and his dog were hit dead on by the fireball. The explosion rocked nearby trees, throwing the pair backwards. Raiga's eyes seemed sad as he looked at the boy lying on the ground, his clothes charred and smoking; the dog was in even worse shape. Akira however simply licked a paw in satisfaction.

"Good job little one."

Raiga sighed, but that sigh turned into a gasp of amazement as the boy struggled to his feet. Matahachi took one look at his dog, and his eyes burned with an even more powerful rage. Still, Raiga saw how hurt the boy was; he raised one hand in supplication.

"Stand down; you are unable to fight any longer. I did only what I had to; let this meaningless battle drop."

"Bastard," the boy yelled at the top of his lungs, and pulling out two kunai he ran forward with all the intent of killing the boy. Akira sprang into action; a single paw crashed into the boy knocking him to the ground unconscious besides his dog. Padding forward the liger placed one paw on the boy's limp form.

"Should I kill him?" Akira asked, her claws flexing in and out of her paw lightly. Raiga merely shook his head.

"No, he's not a threat any longer, and no matter what he is still a ninja of our village; he is our comrade."

The liger snorted, but with a flick of her tail she padded away. In the distance Raiga could see medical ninja running forward, but he didn't even wait for them. Following Akira the boy disappeared into the woods.

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Chapter Three

Akira and Raiga's years as genin were uneventful, or at least as uneventful as they could be for the pair. The pair was placed on an exceptionally unique team, consisting of one member of the Nara Clan and another of the Akimichi Clan. Their sensei was a well respected member of the Aburame clan, known for his patience and ability at training genin. His patience was tried sorely with these three however.

To put it simply, all three of them were simply lazy. One of the rare all male teams (not counting Akira) the three used their impressive skills to do one thing only; get out of work. All three of them possessed combat skills worthy of chunnin, but it seemed no matter what their sensei did the boys would rather spend their time eating or simply lounging. Their sensei had to resort to a multitude of tricks just to get them to complete missions, many times simply bribing them in order to get them to work. Once they did become motivated the three worked surprisingly well together, completing missions with a near flawless success rate. Despite their laziness their sensei was forced to eventually allow them into the chunnin exams, though he feared that they would fail, or worse be killed, if they didn't get their acts together. The jounin was pleasantly surprised than when not only did the boys succeed in the exams, but they were all eventually chosen to become chunnin as well. To celebrate their success the jounin took them all out to barbeque, where the Akimichi was out eaten only by Akira.

Raiga and Akira were sent on quite a few solo missions during their chunnin days; it seemed anything that had to do with tracking or reconnaissance was slated to the pair. Little did they know that they had actually been trained by the best tracker that Konoha had ever known; all they figured was that since they kept completing missions successfully they were forced to take more of the same. Still, neither Raiga nor Akira particularly liked these missions, especially if it meant going out of the borders of the Fire Country. They were just too long, and when they knew that ten to one they would come back successful there was not even any excitement to the missions. The Hokage was surprised when the pair actually turned down a mission, and called them in to try to figure out what was wrong. Raiga stated his case simply; they just couldn't stand these missions any longer. By the age of 22 they had already completed multiple B and A ranked missions, as well as three S ranked ones with success. In short, the pair wanted a break. The Hokage shook his head, but a sly grin cracked his powerful visage.

"So you want a break then, eh? Alright, I'll give you one. You've both just been promoted to jounin."

Raiga fairly leapt out of his chair; what was the Hokage thinking? He had been denied the promotion for so long just because of his laziness, now the Hokage was going to give it to him because he acknowledged it! Akira grumbled at Raiga to sit down, and the man grudgingly took a seat. The look on his face told the Hokage that he wasn't exactly happy with the promotion, and the older man could understand why. Jounin typically had much more work than Jounin, and the Hokage had already made it a point to pull the most work out of the man. Still, the smile remained on his lips.

"In honor of this promotion I will be giving you a new assignment, one that will give you the "break" you so desire. From this point forward you will be the jounin sensei of a genin team."

The Hokage couldn't tell who had growled, Raiga or Akira, but he face continued to bear its smile. Perhaps now he could get the man to do some real work.


End file.
